Subsidies under uncertainty: Modeling of input- and output-oriented policies

Agricultural subsidies play an essential role in agricultural and rural development in many developed economies. Countries have implemented agricultural subsidy policies with a focus on food security and environmental protection. Agricultural production is risky and uncertain, influencing the efficiency of agricultural subsidies. This study develops a theoretical framework to analyze the effects of production uncertainties on the efficiency of agricultural subsidy policies under the double constraints of food security and environmental protection. The basic model is investigated under six different conditions, and expanded research also is presented. Our models show that uncertainty, including output, cost, and price uncertainties, and technology conversion efficiency significantly affects the efficiency of agricultural subsidies. Under high technology conversion efficiency, output-oriented subsidies are appropriate for food security and environmental protection goals. Policymakers should take both uncertainty and production efficiency into consideration when choosing between input-oriented and output-oriented subsidy policies.     

产业融合对中国装备制造业创新效率的影响:结构嵌入的调节作用

从理论和实证两个方面探讨了产业融合对中国装备制造业创新效率的影响，以及网络中心性和网络异质性对二者关系的调节作用。基于2006—2015年省际装备制造7个子行业面板数据，采用ISCNFI指数测度模型和基于产出距离函数的超越对数前沿分析方法，分别测度装备制造业产业融合程度及创新效率变化情况，进而利用面板回归模型对理论假设进行实证检验。结果显示：产业融合程度与中国装备制造业创新效率存在倒“U”型曲线关系，即随着产业融合程度提升，中国装备制造业创新效率呈现出先上升后下降的变化趋势；网络中心性强化了产业融合对装备制造业创新效率的提升作用，而网络异质性削弱了产业融合对装备制造业创新效率的提升作用。     

The Impact of Institutions and Exchange Rate Volatility on China’s Outward FDI

Over the past decade, China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has rapidly increased. However, its characteristics are not sufficiently studied. In this article, we explore the host country’s determinants of China’s OFDI, with a focus on institutional quality, exchange rate volatility, and natural resources by performing an econometric analysis for the period 2003–2013 for a sample of 49 countries. Our results reveal that China’s OFDI is invested in countries with relatively poor institutional quality and abundant natural resources. Exchange rate variability has a dampening effect on China’s OFDI and that the appreciation of the Chinese renminbi enhances OFDI flows.     

价值链视角下科技人才分布对区域创新系统效率的影响

科技人才作为科技创新的主体，是区域创新系统的重要投入，其省际分布状况潜在影响着各区域创新效率。基于2009-2016年我国内地30个省级区域科技人才与研发面板数据，在创新价值链分解的基础上，分别考察科技人才数量与结构维度对区域创新系统三阶段效率的影响。结果发现：在数量维度下，科技人才分布规模对区域知识创新效率、专利创新效率有非线性倒U型影响，先后从人才聚集规模经济效应转向不经济效应;整体集中度提高即全国科技人才分布相对集中有助于提升各地区专利创新与产品创新效率;在结构维度下，科技人才队伍中女性与博士研发人员越来越高的比重对知识创新效率表现为负向影响作用。最后，结合新旧动能转换背景,提出积极发挥人才集聚正向效应的建议。inno[]rlzb[]rlzb[]czpz[]czpz[]cyjg[]cyjg[]dwkf[]dwkf〖BHDG1*3,WK7*3ZQ,WK6。9DWW〗     

Does bond market development enhance the banking sector’s efficiency in resource allocation? Industry-level evidence from Korea

Korea’s financial system used to be bank-based, with banks playing the leading role in financing corporations. As highlighted by Park et al. (2019), however, bond markets have developed rapidly in Korea and other Asian countries. The corporate bond market competes with banks as a source of finance for large borrowers. As such, bond markets may affect banking sector operation, a process known as disintermediation. In this paper, we examine whether bond market development improves the efficiency of resource allocation in Korean bank lending. We propose two channels through which bond market development affects the efficiency of bank lending. Since the two channels have opposing effects on the efficiency of banking, the issue must be settled by empirical analysis. We find that bank loans are much less efficient than bond financing in allocating resources across industries. Furthermore, banks are particularly inefficient in resource allocation in industries that rely more on bond financing. This suggests that competition from bond financing does not improve allocative efficiency of bank loans.     

Efficiency drivers of international airports: A worldwide benchmarking study

The main purpose of these work was to identify operational efficiency drivers of international airports. In order to achieve this, a two-step quantitative-qualitative research approach was conducted. In the first step, a two-stage DEA model was used, and it was possible to identify, within a sample of the 60 biggest airports from the six Airport Council International (ACI) regions, the most efficient airports of the world: Beijing International Airport, Heathrow International Airport, Dubai International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In the second step of the research, four airports were selected in order to search for the efficiency drivers. In this context, Heathrow International Airport was considered to be a benchmark and presented most of the identified efficiency drivers (27 of 31). Standing out were Just-in-Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM) principles and also Passenger boarding optimization, besides the presence of almost all of the most relevant efficiency drivers, according to airport managers.     

城市创新行为改善生态效率了吗？——基于空间关联与溢出视角的考察

文章在理论层面探讨了创新对生态效率的影响机制，并基于城市空间关联与溢出视角，采用我国2007-2016年260个城市面板数据，运用空间计量模型检验了创新对生态效率的影响效应及多维度的城市异质性。进一步地，文章还通过对不同距离阈值上的创新空间溢出效应进行估计，测算了创新空间溢出的距离边界，检验了创新空间溢出驱动城市绿色发展的最佳地理距离区间，从而为增强区域创新合作以提升区域整体绿色发展水平提供了可供参考的量化依据。研究发现：总体而言，创新具有的增长效应、资源与环境效应、结构优化效应是促进城市生态效率改善的重要途径，且产出端创新对生态效率的驱动效应强于投入端创新；但创新对生态效率的影响具有显著的城市异质性，依赖于城市区位、所在城市群、环境政策、资源禀赋、创新能力和市场化水平；城市创新行为具有显著的空间溢出效应，但空间溢出随距离变化呈衰退趋势，350公里以内为创新活动的密集溢出区；生态效率也具有明显的空间溢出效应，经济越发达且联系越紧密、要素流动越自由、创新对生态效率驱动效应越强的地区，生态效率的空间溢出也越强。因此政府应完善创新激励政策、为创新外溢创造良好条件、注重引导创新的方向，并根据区域及城市发展实际，采取差异化的创新驱动绿色发展策略。     

Dynamic efficiency evaluation of Italian judicial system using DEA based Malmquist productivity indexes

The aim of this study is the empirical analysis of the Italian judicial system, measuring its efficiency and productivity. For this purpose, in details, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist indexes were used, since they are recognized by the current literature as successful techniques to evaluate the performance of decision making units, namely the courts of law in our field of application.The statistical data on the administration of justice in Italy, as reported in Dossier n. 11 May 2013, Senate Research Services, Research Office on Institutional Issues, Justice and Culture, XVII legislature, shows that the efficiency crisis of justice in Italy began in the 1970s of the last century, aggravating during the ‘80s, and reaching its most critical moment during the 1990s. Several studies emphasize the relevance of the effects of inefficiency upon the judicial system on the credit and financial markets.The present analysis, using data that covers a wide time span and is disaggregated at district level, has set the goal of measuring the efficiency of the individual Italian judicial offices while assessing the progress of productivity in its components, by the means of technological progress and scale efficiency. The efficiency analysis that was carried out transcends the aspect of judicial taxation, considering how the passage of time has impacted on judicial efficiency.Considering the judges and judicial administration employed, in the new, pending and finished cases during the years ranging from 2011 to 2016, the results highlighted a distinct heterogeneity among courts, depending on their geographical location. The five-year period that was considered, included the years in which the judicial geographical distribution reform entered into force, so to better comprehend how this complex reform influenced the recovery of efficiency of the judicial offices. Furthermore, by breaking down the index into change in efficiency and change in technology, this work offers a further glimpse into judiciary organization. The application of combined DEA method and Malmquist indexes for evaluating court efficiency in a large time frame showed very interesting and useful results, relevant for judicial administration.     

Why cryptocurrency markets are inefficient: The impact of liquidity and volatility

In this research, we study the multifractality, long-memory process, and efficiency hypothesis of six major cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, Dash, Litecoin, and Ripple) using the time-rolling MF-DFA approach. For an in-depth analysis, this study uses the quantile regression approach to examine the determinants of efficient markets. The results show that all markets present evidence of long-memory property and multifractality. Furthermore, the inefficiency of cryptocurrency markets is time-varying, and Dash is the least inefficient market while Litecoin is the most inefficient. Finally, we find that higher liquidity improves but higher volatility weakens the efficiency of cryptocurrencies, depending on the quantiles. Therefore, we conclude that high liquidity with low volatility helps active traders to arbitrage away opportunities, resulting in market efficiency.